Visual recognition of skin cancers and mole mapping
Recognising melanoma, BCC, SCC and their mimics with the naked eye and dermoscopy (ABCDE, EFG, ugly duckling, the 3-point checklist, structures by tumour), and how total body photography and short-term and long-term sequential digital dermoscopy work, who they suit, and what they can't do.
Tier 2Medical sciences concept
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Australia has the world's highest skin cancer rates. Recognition starts with looking at the whole skin and finding the lesion that is new, changing or different.
- Dermoscopy in trained hands improves melanoma sensitivity over the naked eye (Cochrane 2018) and reduces benign excisions. Cancer Council Australia recommends that doctors who examine skin for cancer use it.
- Mole mapping means total body photography (TBP) to find new or changed lesions plus sequential digital dermoscopy imaging (SDDI) of individual lesions. It suits high-risk patients with many naevi.
Loading the rest of the note…
Finished reading?
Sources
- Melanoma Guidelines Working Party. Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of melanoma (early detection and surveillance chapters)AU/NZCancer Council Australia and Melanoma Institute Australia, online wiki guideline, sections revised 2018 to 2024; accessed November 2026
- Early detection of skin cancer: position statementAU/NZCancer Council Australia, 2019
- Keratinocyte Cancer Guideline Working Party. Clinical practice guidelines for keratinocyte cancerAU/NZCancer Council Australia, 2019
- Roadmap for a National Targeted Melanoma Screening ProgramAU/NZMelanoma Institute Australia, four-year program begun March 2025; progress update May 2026
- Moloney FJ et al. Detection of primary melanoma in individuals at extreme high risk: a prospective 5-year follow-up study. JAMA Dermatol 2014;150:819-27AU/NZJAMA Dermatology, 2014
- Watts CG et al. Cost-effectiveness of skin surveillance through a specialized clinic for patients at high risk of melanoma. J Clin Oncol 2017;35:63-71AU/NZJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2017
- Dinnes J et al. Dermoscopy, with and without visual inspection, for diagnosing melanoma in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;12:CD011902Cochrane, 2018
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback